And Now Ashutosh Gowatrikar Lagaan. The only thing that got to me was the length of the movie. I ended the movie feeling like I wanted to recommend it to others. The costumes were also appropriate. Aamir khan was too good man.
The best part of the movie is the characterization of the eleven players villagers. And lastly I must appreciate the work behind the entire cricket sequence as it covers most of the aspects of the game and not to mention - match fixing,sledging,body line bowling ,making it gripping till the last ball! Since there has been no rain all season and they can't even pay their regular taxes. Overall, I cheered, I laughed at a few of the zanier characters, and I also found myself streaming tears for the young boy. The emotion that Indians share about cricket is effectively taken advantage of the cricket match played between villagers of Champaner and the British officers which forms the climax ,extends to about an hour and a half. Another wonderful thing about the movie is that the mysterious sport called cricket becomes clearer to the puzzled Filipino. Astonishingly they even got the joke about 'this country will be the future of this game'. Honestly this movie was one Hindi movie that did not require many songs at all if at all.
The second half is less involved in justifying its characters and aims more towards culminating the scene which has been set in the first. I didn't expect it to be exciting but at times you are on the edge of your seat and it isn't as cliched a game as I'd expected it to be! Initially I was warned about the length of the movie-3hrs and 50 mins. This may seem like a ridiculous idea for a movie and I won't even mention the fact that it's a musical but this was the most exciting and wonderful movie I've seen in quite some time. I especially liked that scene where Elisabeth imagines Aamir in a suit, it worked because being who she is of course shed see him like that. It seems that lack of knowledge of cricket and subtitles with words like 'runs', 'overs' and 'no ball' were not a handicap. And the music has a huge impact thanks to the great voices of Udit Narayan, Lata Mangeshkar etc.
Granted, on the average, your Hollywood movies are way better than bollywood ones. If you are of the thinking type, there are lot of other things which you can analyze proof of Fermat's last theorem for example. Indian actor Aamir Khan's home production is a cinematic experience which highlights Indian cinema to the hilt, while weaving a tale set in Champaner during the time of the British Empire's presence which deals with Lagaan the tax of the land and a village's upheaval against its oppressors. It does have some flaws of course the film is a little heavy handed at first in making sure we know the British are bad, it is done too early and too quickly couldn't we have been led to that conclusion rather than pushed straight away? It is a must see for everyone, inside and outside of India. First of all I'm not a fan of cricket but this could really be any sport as that is not important to the story. It gets 10 out of 10 from me. Never before has a film done that, usually the trailers, promos or songs of an Indian film give the story away and you get an idea of what the film is going to be like, but Lagaan was a total surprise.
Lagaan rates as one of my top three favorite Hindi movies, along with Devdas and Mohabbatein. And if the Britons win, they will collect triple lagaan, which will mean the end of the village. I want to be a part of it. Unique from the antediluvian and stale topics of Bollywood love, stupid fights and family crap. Revolution without significant bloodshed, beautiful cinematography and choreography, excellent costuming, an intriguing love triangle, and a captivating story line.
The British cast on the other hand had precious little to do except look foreboding. I could see how Bollywood is the only film-making centre that actually could do what Hollywood does, but in its own distinctive way, with a much more universal human interest. It is exciting, romantic and comic. This is a great sports movie and even if you don't like sports, it is still a great movie. The opening scenes are more congruent to joining a conversation midway, as from the moment you are thrust into 1893's India, you gain footing and a sense of atmosphere, feeling at ease as the camera pans across its setting for the movie, drifting into the journey that will hold your attention for the duration of the film. While there were some inconsistencies in sound, overall I loved the picture. The camera work is good, emphasizing the dryness of the land and the hopelessness of the people anxiously waiting for the rain.
I really wish that they had done some serious editing, it just ran too long and the cricket match was too dragged out. Aamir Khan is terrific in the lead he resembles a cross between Tony Curtis, Peter Sellers and Al Pacino. Gowariker has selected an incredible cast with Aamir Khan in the lead. He tries to unite the village in a struggle for life against the greedy Britons. But it was worth it! Lovely songs n awesome music. And the idea of the bet! Her crossover to Indian cinema, or indeed to this film, is delicately handled and a feat to be applauded.
I love musicals like Guys and Dolls and the Music Man and I love the music, but when I saw this it realized how bad and out of place the English language was in the beautiful rhythmic singing. Saw this 3 times in theatre. It really deserved an Oscar nomination! Obviously it sometimes pays for peasants and citydwellers to pick up these skills. And this movies has been totally righteously nominated for an Oscar too, and I wouldn't be surprised if it goes all the way to the top. I am finally off to bed. In those years, the lands were very dry due to the lack of rain, and the inhabitants of Champaner decide to request to their Rajah Puran Singh Kulbhushan Kharbanda to waive the taxes.
Play comes from an Old English word whose first meaning is to wager. I have read many comments on here that the movie was badly lip sang. The sets were historically accurate I've been told and the backdrop just right for the match and one would it imagine it fit into the time frame suggested. The plot and characters were caricatured, but that made it all that more accessible and touching, like a medieval passion play. And the dancing is a chapter in itself! So she gave me this to widen my knowledge.